VETERANS GET WARM HONORS, A FEW TEARS THOSE WHO SERVED IN ALL WARS LAUDED AT VALLEY'S FIRST PARADE.Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer PACOIMA - Waving American flags and shedding the occasional tear, thousands gathered Thursday at memorials, ceremonies and the San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Valley's inaugural Veterans Day parade to honor the military's men and women. Residents cheered as veterans young and old marched down Laurel Canyon Boulevard Laurel Canyon Boulevard is a major street in the city of Los Angeles, California. It starts off at Polk Street in Sylmar in the northern San Fernando Valley near the junction of the San Diego (Interstate 405) and the Golden State Freeways (Interstate 5). in the Valley's first Veterans Day parade. ``I cried when I saw this. It's the first time I ever got a homecoming,'' said Dennis O'Sullivan, who fought in Vietnam and now is program director for People in Progress, a homeless advocacy group based in Sun Valley. The sentiment was repeated over and over by those who had served their country in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf Persian Gulf, arm of the Arabian Sea, 90,000 sq mi (233,100 sq km), between the Arabian peninsula and Iran, extending c.600 mi (970 km) from the Shatt al Arab delta to the Strait of Hormuz, which links it with the Gulf of Oman. and Iraq. ``This is long overdue,'' said 55-year-old Army vet Rene Perez, who lost many of his buddies in Vietnam. He marched alongside his son, Marine Sgt. Gabriel Perez, a 24-year-old Pacoima resident who recently returned from Iraq. ``It's so impressive,'' said Gabriel Perez, dressed in fatigues. ``It's my first welcome-home parade.'' Veterans Day observances began early Thursday, with a prayer breakfast and program at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch, and continued into the evening, with a candlelight vigil A candelight vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset. Such events are typically held either to protest at the suffering of some marginalized group of people, or in memory of lives lost to some disease, disaster, massacre or other tragedy. at Van Nuys City Hall. With more than 1,100 soldiers and Marines killed in Iraq, thousands more wounded and a battle raging in Fallujah, this year's Veterans Day had a sense of urgency. It was, as many put it, a time of bridging the gap between older veterans and the younger ones and offering a hand. ``There's a lot of healing going on here,'' said Fred Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the , a Vietnam veteran This article is about veterans of the Vietnam War. For the French psychedelic musical group, see Vietnam Veterans. Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. who chairs of the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Veterans Advisory Commission. ``It's about bringing together these people for support and paying tribute to all those soldiers out there who have died.'' Blanca Suastegui, 49, of North Hollywood, stood for nearly an hour along the parade route, waving a red, white and blue sign reading, ``God Bless Our Troops. We Miss You.'' ``We are here for the soldiers, for their mothers and their children. They are heroes,'' she said tearfully as she thought about her 21-year-old son, Army Pfc. Mauricio Suastegui, fighting in Fallujah. Organizers estimated that more than 6,000 people attended the parade and they forecast the next one will be even larger. ``This has been sorely needed for a long time,'' said City Council President Alex Padilla Alex Padilla is a politician in California. He was elected as the State Senator for the 20th District of California in November 2006 and was inaugurated in early December. In order to enter the Senate he had to resign as Councilman for the 7th District on the Los Angeles City . ``This is not about statistics, it's about people. And these are somebody's husbands, wives, sisters and brothers and we should not lose sight of that.'' One of the biggest ceremonies was held at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, where skydivers performed and a brass band played patriotic songs. ``All of our veterans, no matter their age or service, have given something of themselves to our country, and some have given all, laying down their lives to defend our democracy,'' Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante told a crowd made up largely of veterans and area families. In Burbank, a Veterans Day observance at the McCambridge Park War Memorial featured a flyover by the Condor Squadron. Ventura County residents gathered for a program with patriotic music at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs and a community gathering at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks. In Simi Valley, the names of 135 veterans were dedicated on monuments at the Rancho Tapo Community Park and Veterans Plaza. ``All the veterans through all the wars are remembered here, and the conflict in Iraq brings us together even closer. Our troops need all the support they can get,'' said George Estrella, a former navigator with the Strategic Air Command. The new names included Marine Cpl. Chris Gibson and Army Sgt. Mike DiRaimondo of Simi Valley, who were killed in Iraq this year. The name of Matthew Pavelka, a graduate of Simi Valley High School Simi Valley High School is a secondary school located in Simi Valley, California which was established in 1920 as the first high school in the valley. It nestles in the Santa Susana Mountains and is adjacent to the San Fernando Valley, part of the city and county of Ventura. and an Air Force veteran, also was added. Pavelka was a Burbank Police Department The Burbank Police Department is the police department serving Burbank, California. Tim Stehr became the Police Chief of the department on August 1, 2007. The previous chiefs were Thomas Hoefel, David Newsham and Glen Bell. officer killed a year ago in the line of duty In the Line of Duty may refer to:
``We're very proud of Matthew and the fact his name is going on the memorial,'' said his father, Mike Pavelka, a Los Angeles police detective who attended the Simi Valley ceremonies with his wife, Sue. Staff Writers Alex Dobuzinskis and Eric Leach contributed to this report. Rachel Uranga, (818) 713-3741 rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Mother Gertrude Balcazar Home for Senior Citizens residents Don Eggleston and Melida Salazar sit with Sister Ascension Delgado during the Veterans Day parade Thursday. (2) A young boy watches as a U.S. Marine fighting vehicle cruises by during the Valley's first Veterans Day parade. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer (3) The 100th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Company K, dressed in Civil War uniforms, marches past Crescenta Valley High School Crescenta Valley High School is an secondary school located at 2900 Community Avenue in La Crescenta-Montrose, an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The school is a part of the Glendale Unified School District. ROTC cadets at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park Hollywood Hills. John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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